The present invention relates to a thrust enhancer for marine propeller. Applicant herein is also the patentee of U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,550 issued Jan. 5, 1993, for ENGINE PROPELLER BLADE AND LOWER UNIT PROTECTOR. FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 herein directly correspond to FIGS. 1, 6 and 7, respectively, of Applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,550, the specification of which is hereby incorporated by reference, in its entirety. The invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,550, in its several embodiments, is intended to protect the propeller blade and lower unit of a marine outboard motor, not only to protect these structures from being damaged but, also, to protect Manatees and other marine creatures from propeller damage.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the inventive thrust enhancer is designed to be coupled to a protector similar to that which is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3 herein. If desired, the inventive thrust enhancer may be mounted directly to the outboard motor housing or other vessel skeg in the absence of a lower unit protector.
In marine propulsion devices, the predominant means of providing thrust comprises a propeller having two or more blades. As the propeller spins, water is forced backward, resulting in forward thrust of the propeller, and the vessel attached thereto via a propeller shaft.
However, as is known, the thrust produced by a marine propeller is not directed solely in the rearward direction. Lateral components of the force generated by the propeller exist that rob the propulsion system of optimal efficiency. If a means could be devised to cause the propulsive force of a marine propeller to be directed most optimally in a single rearward direction, efficiency would be enhanced dramatically. It is with this need in mind that the present invention was developed.